She became an instant fan favourite when she starred as Gavin’s mother, Pam Shipman, on Gavin and Stacey.
But Alison Steadman confirmed there are currently no plans for the iconic sitcom to return to TV, amid mixed messages from the show’s creators, James Corden and Ruth Jones.
The OBE awarded actress, 74, said on Wednesday she ‘hopes everyday’ Gavin and Stacey will make a comeback following the final episode, which aired on Christmas Day last year.
Dashed hopes: Alison Steadman who played Gavin’s mother, Pam Shipman, on Gavin and Stacey announced on Wednesday that the sitcom has no plans to return to the small screen
During a BBC Breakfast interview, Alison said: ‘I don’t know, as far as I know, and this is the honest truth, I haven’t heard that there’s going to be another show at all.
‘I hope everyday that I’ll get another message saying, “oh guess what?” But we’ll see, fingers crossed.’
The hit BBC show was written by Ruth Jones, 54, who played Nessa Jenkins, and James Corden, 42, the actor behind the beloved character, Neil ‘Smithy’ Smith.
The award-winning comedy first aired in 2017 and followed the stories of two families, Gavin’s relatives in Billericay, Essex and Stacey’s clan in Barry, South Wales.
Still a chance? The actress, 74, revealed she ‘hopes everyday’ that it will make a comeback (pictured with co-stars Matthew Horne and Larry Lamb)
It ran for two seasons until 2008, before airing one-off specials in 2009, 2010 and 2019.
Actor and writer James has since ventured stateside where he presents his own talk show, The Late Late Show with James Corden.
Earlier this month, the TV host suggested Gavin and Stacey will return for one final episode.
He revealed the future instalment ‘will really be the last, final part’ of the programme, but admitted he doesn’t plan on producing the new series soon as ‘it’s too much pressure at the moment’.
A hit: The award-winning comedy first aired in 2017 and followed the stories of two families, Gavin’s family in Billericay, Essex and Stacey’s relatives based in Barry, South Wales (L-R characters Nessa Jenkins, Stacey Shipman, Gavin Shipman and Neil ‘Smithy’ Smith)
Back on? Earlier this month, actor and write James, 42, suggested Gavin and Stacey will return for one final episode following the last episode in December 2019
The comedian told Metro: ‘I don’t know, is the answer. I honestly don’t. We’re all on a WhatsApp text group. All of us and Matt [Horne] and Jo [Page] did a special radio show for BBC Wales the other day that will go out on Christmas.
‘And we all contributed to that somewhat. And we’re always talking, all of us, and Ruth [Jones] and I talk all the time. I hope so much we do it. The next one will really be the last, final part.
‘And that is a little too much pressure for my chest to take at the moment, if I’m honest, in amongst the anxiety of 2020. If I had any notion of trying to make another Christmas special I don’t think I’d be able to breathe.’
However, fellow show-creator Ruth had recently dashed hopes of a comeback as she admitted the show ‘may never return to Barry’.
Contradiction: However co-writer and Nessa Jenkins actress, Ruth, 54, said on This Morning last month: ‘There aren’t any plans to write anything’
The Welsh writer said on This Morning last month: ‘There aren’t any plans to write anything. Obviously James is in America and I’m in Wales.
‘The joy of our last special is that if we never go back to Barry, we’ll always wonder what happened next. I quite like leaving it hanging. I’m sorry I don’t have any better news.’
Fans of the BBC series were left on the edge of their seats when Nessa proposed to her on-off love interest Smithy on last year’s Christmas special, which ended on a cliffhanger.
The thespians who played Gavin and Stacey, Joanna Page, 43, and Mathew Horne, 42, are set to team up for a festive show on BBC Radio Wales this year.
The pair will work together on the one-off programme which will feature a number of Gavin and Stacey guests, but it is unclear if they will shed any light on Nessa and Smith’s proposal in the last TV episode.
Cliffhanger! Fans of the BBC series were left on the edge of their seats when Nessa proposed to her on-off love interest Smithy on last year’s Christmas special